About Uganda

Kampala City

November 4, 2016

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Kampala is the largest city and capital of the republic of Uganda divided into five municipal division. These include; Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division.

The city is run jointly by the Executive Director who is appointed by the president and oversees the administrative activities of the city and the Lord Mayor who chairs the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) The history of Kampala Mutesa I, the Kabaka (King) of Buganda, had chosen the area that was to become Kampala as one of his favorite hunting grounds. The area was made up of hills and wetlands. It was an ideal breeding ground for various wild animls, particularly a species of antelope, the impala , in whose name the city was named Kampala (the area of Impalas).

The city grew as the capital of the Buganda kingdom, from which several buildings survive, including the Kasubi Tombs (built in 1881), the Lubiri Palace, the Buganda Parliament and the Buganda Court of Justice. Severely damaged in the Uganda-Tanzania War, the city has since then been rebuilt with constructions of new buildings including hotels, banks, shopping malls, educational institutions, hospitals and improvement of war torn buildings and infrastructure. Traditionally, Kampala was a city of seven hills, but over time it has come to have a lot more. Kampala was initially built on seven hills, although this is now the city has spread over several hills and villages beyond Kampala boundaries.
The earliest hills included;

The first hill in historical importance is Kasubi Hill, which is where the Kasubi Tombs where the deacsed kings of Buganda are buried.

Mengo Hill where the present Lubiri (Kabaka’s Palace) is and the Headquarters of the Buganda Court of Justice and of the Lukiiko, Bugand’s Parliament (Bulange).

Kibuli Hill, which is home to the Kibuli Mosque. Islam was brought to Uganda before the Christian missionaries came.

Namirembe Hill, home to the Namirembe Anglican Cathedral. The Protestants were the first of the Christian Missions to arrive.

Lubaga Hill, where the Rubaga Catholic Cathedral is, and was the headquarters of the White Fathers.

Nsambya Hill, was the Headquarters of the Mill Hill Mission. It now houses Nsambya Hospital.

Kampala Hill, (also known as Old Kampala), the hill of the Impala is where the ruins of Lugard’s Fort were. However, the ruins were recently destroyed (2003), when the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) started on reconstruction of a 15,000-seater mosque on land that included the fort. The mosque was begun by Idi Amin but was never completed. The fort was then re-located to a nearby area (a new and similar one constructed), a move that has since been a source of controversy between The Historic Buildings Conservation Trust (HBCT) of Uganda and the UMSC. The UMSC was given the gazetted land as a gift by President Idi Amin in 1972 during its inauguration. This hill is where Kampala got its name.

The city spread to Nakasero Hill where the administrative centre and the wealthiest residential area is. Nakasero is also the location of the most upscale hotels in the city including:

The Grand Imperial Hotel
The Kampala Speke Hotel
The Kampala Sheraton Hotel
The Kampala Hilton Hotel
The Kampala Serena Hotel
The Imperial Royale Hotel
The Kampala Intercontinental

Makindye Division incorporating Kibuli, Tank Hill and Makindye now has over 300,000 residents. Medical provision in this part of town, being more recently developed, is limited. Hospitals include Kibuli Hospital, St. Francis Hospital Nsambya and the International Hospital Kampala (IHK).

Philanthropic health services are provided by Hope Clinic Lukuli situated between Tank Hill, Makindye and Konge.Kololo Hill to the east of Nakasero, is the highest hill in the city, at 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level.

The Uganda Museum is located at the foot of Kololo Hill in the neighborhood called Kamwokya. Other features of the city include the Uganda Museum, Ugandan National Theatre, Nakasero Market and St. Balikuddembe Market (formerly Owino Market). Kampala is also known for its nightlife, which includes several casinos, notably Casino Simba in the Garden City shopping center, Kampala Casino and Mayfair Casino.

Entebbe International Airport is located at Entebbe, 35 miles (56 km) away, while Port Bell on the shores of Lake Victoria is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away. Climate Kampala features a tropical wet and dry climate, however due to city’s higher altitudes, average temperatures are noticeably cooler than what is typically seen in other cities with this type of climate. Kampala seldom gets very hot during the course of the year; the warmest month is January.

Another facet of Kampala’s weather is that it features two distinct wet seasons. There is a lengthy rainy season from August through December and another shorter rainy season that begins in February and lasts through June. However, the shorter rainy season sees substantially heavier rainfall per month, with the month of April typically seeing the heaviest amount of precipitation at an average of around 175 mm of rain.